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The CanWNT played South Korea to a scoreless draw at BMO Field

CanWNT played South Korea: CanWNT Starting XI on June 26, 2022

TORONTO, ON – The CanWNT played South Korea to a scoreless draw at BMO Field, in front of a crowd of 15,610 fans. Canada was the better team in the game, but could not finish off their chances. South Korea also played well defensively including their goalkeeper, Yoon Yonggeul.

The CanWNT played South Korea at BMO Field in a 0-0 draw

Full Game Summary

Correction from the tweet: Taegeuk Ladies of the South Korean National Team

First half

The CanWNT had a chance in the first minute, but the player missed the net. Also, Jordyn Huitema almost scored in the fourth minute. Kadeisha Buchanan was fouled in the fifth minute. Janine Beckie created a goal-scoring chance in the eighth minute. Jang Sel-gi stole the ball in the 14-minute. Beckie was fouled in the 16-minute. South Korea played good defence in the 17-minute but gave up a corner. Beckie’s cross went over. Adriana Leon had a glorious chance to score in the 19-minute, but her header went wide. Beckie was the one who made a great cross to Leon. Leon’s cross was defended well by South Korea. Canada’s Ashley Lawrence made a good move to pass the South Korean player. There was great passing by the CanWNT. However, they did not take advantage as Canada did not really trouble the South Korean goalkeeper.

CanWNT goalkeeper, Kailen Sheridan, made a brave play to get to the ball in the 26-minute. South Korean Ji So-yun almost scored, as her shot beat Sheridan, but missed the target. Huitema did a good job of getting the ball in the 32-minute. Kadeisha Buchanan did well to draw a goal kick in the 38-minute. Another great chance came in the 42-minute, but Leon, was unable to make contact with the ball from a deflected Jordyn Huitema shot.

Second half

Kadeisha Buchanan made a terrific defensive play in the 53-minute, to prevent a possible clear-cut scoring chance. Rebecca Quinn made a good block in the 55-minute. Deanne Rose in the 58-minute got to the right place on the rebound, but she took a heavy touch and the scoring chance was erased. Janine Beckie’s cross was just over Rose in the 62-minute.

Beckie’s cross to Vanessa Gilles in the 72-minute missed the target. South Korea did a good job of clearing the ball in the 86-minute. Yoon Yonggeul played well, and this can be seen in the last play of the game. Her first initial save was huge in preventing the goal. The second shot was blocked by a South Korean defender, while the third shot went straight to the South Korean goalkeeper.

Canada announced that 15,610 fans attended the game against South Korea. It was a great atmosphere and an enjoyable one as Toronto got to experience the CanWNT for the first time since becoming Olympic champions in a penalty shootout win over Sweden.

Game coming up for the CanWNT

The CanWNT will now head to the Concacaf W Championship in Mexico. They will play three-five important games in the tournament. A spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympics are on the line starting in approximately two weeks. This is while South Korea, nicknamed the Taegeuk Ladies, has already qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. They did this by finishing runners-up in the last AFC Asian Women’s Cup, which included a quarterfinal win over Australia. All the CanWNT Concacaf W Championship games can be seen live on OneSoccer and Telus.

Canada played well defensively. It was a much better performance than their game against Nigeria, where they gave up two easy goals to Nigeria in a draw at Starlight Stadium. Credit should also be given to South Korea and how they played. This is what South Korean head coach Colin Bell said about the game in his post-game press conference:

“It wasn’t as though we just like hung on for dear life, we played some good football. But we just need that element of concentration, the final third, and that comes with a higher fitness level.”

This is true, while South Korea only had 33 percent of the possession, they did have some opportunities to score. Most notably, Ji So-yun had one or two chances to score and CanWNT goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan had to make a brave play to secure the ball in the 36-minute. However, it is also important to note that South Korea did not have a shot on goal, which is something they can improve on.

Three Takeaways:

Janine Beckie played well. Beckie was probably the best player for the CanWNT. Her ability to create quality crosses for her teammates gave Canada a chance to score. For example, there was one cross to Adriana Leon that could have led to a goal in the first half.

The CanWNT played in Toronto for the first time since winning Olympic Gold. The last time they played in Toronto was in 2019. However, this was also the fifth city the CanWNT played since winning Olympic Gold. This includes their four Celebration Tour Games, which started with a win against New Zealand in Ottawa and ended with a draw against Nigeria in Langford.

South Korea was a good test for the CanWNT. The Korean team was good defensively on the low block. The CanWNT might expect that when playing in the Concacaf W Championship.

Photo Credit: Canada Soccer on June 26, 2022.

 

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